1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to storybooks which combine audio and visual images, and more particularly to a leaf-type storybook which incorporates audio and visual representations of figures and machines which can be actuated by a reader.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been known in the art to provide storybooks for the use of children which incorporate images of characters, machines or the like with a corresponding keyboard or touch pad. In the operation of such storybooks, the child turns the pages of the book and upon seeing the character in the text of the story, actuates the corresponding character on the adjacent keyboard to produce an audible representation of the character. For example, a storybook which involves barnyard animals would have pictures within the text corresponding to any reference to a duck or cow and the keyboard located laterally along the side of the storybook would have individual keys with the same image. When the keys are pressed, a circuit to a sound synthesizer is closed which causes an amplifier and speaker within the keyboard to emit a sound of a duck quacking or a cow mooing, as appropriate to the image on the key that was pressed. While such storybooks have been very successful and amusing, and somewhat instructive to the child, they present certain limitations, particularly with regard to the play pattern that is to be used. For example, the keyboard is exposed at all times and thus the characters involved in the story are readily apparent upon first observing or using the book. Also, since the keyboard characters are equally apparent, the child may lose interest after actuating the keys a few times. For these reasons, it is difficult to incorporate a mystery or other suspenseful story into such an arrangement and the child's interest is not easily held by such books. Also, the keyboard provides a flat representation of the figure and for practical reasons it is difficult to materially change the size of the representation. Thus, the presently known formats significantly impact the types and quality of educational and literary works which may be incorporated into such books. For these reasons it would be advantageous if an audio visual storybook could be configured that included the ability to expand the possibilities for providing story lines to a child which heighten the child's anticipation and hold the child's interest.